House passes bill authorizing casinos to withhold winnings for child support debts

BATON ROUGE -- House members voted 82-1 today for a bill that will require casinos and riverboat gambling operations to withhold patrons' winnings if they owe back child support.

File photoSen. Nick Gautreaux

Senate Bill 53 by Sen. Nick Gautreaux, D-Abbeville, now returns to the Senate for approval of technical changes. The only House member to vote against the bill was Rep. Patricia Smith, D-Baton Rouge.

If the changes are approved, as expected, the bill will go to Gov. Bobby Jindal for his signature or veto.

Rep. Robert Johnson, D-Marksville, the floor handler of Gautreaux's bill, said the measure would only affect winnings of $1,200 or more -- the same level at which casinos have to issue a federal tax reporting document.

The bill gives the State Gaming Control Board the authority to draft rules on the proposed program's operations by Jan. 1.

The state Department of Social Services must submit current computer data bases of the names of deadbeat parents to the gambling outlets so their computers can match the winners with those who owe support payments, Johnson said.

He said deadbeat parents owe more than $1 billion to their kids, based on the latest numbers from the state agency.

Opponents of the bill said it could cause angry, possibly violent, confrontations at casinos between gamblers who hit big prizes, only to find out the winnings must be withheld for child support.